MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

"Sure, why not?" said Valyr in response, eliciting a bright smile to appear on Sven's face.

"However, I'll have to ask you to move away from me a bit."

Seeing the slight confusion on the man's face, the young man explained. "Though I'm more than certain that there wouldn't be a problem whatsoever, it's better to be safe than sorry."

At those words, Sven acquiesced, distancing himself from Valyr to give the latter the leeway to move about.

Even though he didn't really have to do so since he was just an image.

Nevertheless, with Sven being a fair distance away from the young man, Valyr faintly sighed in relief as he took out a few items from his spatial bracelet.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Who knew I'd be forging a new firearm this soon?" Staring at the gunpowder and the bullets he had prepared for the arquebus, Valyr let out a faint chuckle as he began the arming process.

Though the process was generally similar to what he had done when arming the arquebus for firing, there were a few differences thanks to the existence of the matchlock mechanism.

For one, there was now a lid covering the pan that would allow him to ignite the gunpowder.

Moving the lid aside, he put in a bit of gunpowder into the pan before brushing off the excess.

Then, he put the lid back on, moving his pistol towards him so he could put gunpowder directly into the barrel.

After that, he grabbed one of the remaining bullets he had and shoved it into the barrel, utilizing a metal rod he had forged by the side to truly make sure it was in there.

Returning the pistol to its previous position, he then conjured a flame on one of his fingers before lighting the cordage that was not far from the covered pan.

With the cordage being connected to a container filled with flammable oil, Valyr was confident that the flame could remain lit for a long time, removing the need for him to conjure a flame every time he wanted to fire.

Pressing the trigger a couple times to see if the lit cordage would meet with the pan, the young man eventually had a faint smile on his face as he aimed the pistol away from the two of them.

"Are you ready?" asked Valyr as he looked at Sven.

Becoming engrossed as he watched Valyr arm the pistol from start to finish, Sven took a bit of time to snap back to reality.

"Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be."

Nodding in response to his words, Valyr returned his attention to the pistol, holding it with both hands for better stability.

Then, after taking a deep breath, he removed the lid on the pan before finally squeezing the trigger.

Bang!

At the very moment the lit cordage made contact with the gunpowder in the pan, all of the gunpowder in the barrel swiftly ignited, propelling the bullet at great speeds.

Whoosh!

Though the man knew something had happened, with there being no target to speak of, all Sven saw after Valyr squeezed the trigger was a flash of white smoke.

Fortunately, amidst the white smoke, he caught a faint glimpse of a small projectile, moving at speeds that would be impossible for a normal archer to achieve.

"Amazing…" With how the entire process of arming the weapon only relied on a few simple movements, Sven was instantly enamored.

After all, with the stats and capabilities the pistol had, he was certain that even those at Rank 0 would have no problems fighting those of a higher rank with the weapon in hand.

Satisfied at what Valyr had shown him, Sven inwardly let out a faint sigh as he thought that now was the time to showcase his deceptive blade.

However, just as he was about to head to where Valyr stood, the young man looked at him and asked him a question that he did not expect.

"Do you want to try it out?"

At those words, the man stood frozen in place for a bit, trying to comprehend what was just said to him.

But of course, not long after that, Sven made his way to where Valyr was, staring at the pistol with great glee.

…

"Man…"

After having practiced with Valyr for quite some time on how to use the matchlock pistol, there was no doubt in Sven's mind that he had gained newfound respect for the young man.

After all, whilst Valyr was teaching Sven how to shoot the firearm, he also explained the underlying mechanics behind how the pistol worked.

Of course, it went without saying that the firing mechanism of the pistol alone was many times more complex than the mechanism Sven had in his blade.

Whoosh!

Moving his blade in front of the young man all of a sudden, Sven tightened his grip over the hilt, revealing the dark blade that crept within.

Then, the man let out a low sigh, looking at Valyr with a wry smile.

"To be honest, I had no doubt in my mind that a weapon like this was more than enough to win the fight," said Sven.

"However, compared to the complexity your item has shown… it's as if my blade is just a child's toy."

"Is the current generation of blacksmiths really this strong?" asked Sven, looking at Valyr with curiosity.

In response, Valyr only let out a wry chuckle.

"Who knows?"

Hearing those words, Sven stared at Valyr for a bit, hoping to understand the underlying meaning beneath the latter's answer.

Fortunately, it did not take long for him to do so, nodding as he flashed a bitter smile.

"I see."

"Well, there's no doubt that the item you made is more elaborate than the blade I've forged," said Sven after some time.

"With that, you've successfully passed the first fight in the Trial of Nine Stars."

At those words, Valyr became elated, laughing and grinning with great joy.

Though, this happiness was short-lived after hearing the man's next words.

"However, I'm certain that it won't be long until your opponents overwhelm you."

"After all, I've been competing against you all this time with a handicap."